Once again it's time for another exciting Haircare Face-Off! In this battle, two popular volumizing hairsprays will be put to the test in a fierce head-to-head competition in order to determine which is the superior product. As always, each product will be scored on a 1-10 scale in each of the following categories: Performance, Ingredients, Sensory Appeal/Packaging, and Value.
Let's take a closer look at the competitors.
Thickr is manufactured by Rusk, the company founded by legendary Scottish hairdresser Irvine Rusk and his wife Louise. Although the duo sold their namesake line in 2003, the company is still going strong. Thickr Hair Spray is an extra-hold spray that offers powerful texture and shine with added UV blockers to protect color-treated or highlighted hair. According to Rusk, this hairspray is infused with lusterizers, conditioners, and moisturizers that provide body, texture, and supple touchable hold.
Phytovolume Actif Volumizing Spray is manufactured by Phyto, the company founded by Parisian hairdresser Patrick Ales in 1956. According to Phyto, this product is a weightless spray that lifts hair at the roots and holds voluminous styles throughout the day. The addition of wheat proteins and amino acids plumps the diameter of each hair to impart body, creating fullness and bounce that’s never stiff.
Two thickening hairsprays manufactured by companies founded by two iconic stylists, one from Glasgow and one from Paris. This should be quite an interesting edition of Haircare Face-Off! So let's get this beauty battle under way!
Performance: The Rusk spray delivered consistent results and did not disappoint. I was very impressed that such a lightweight product could deliver such a firm amount of hold. Thickr worked well on most hair types, but really excelled on medium-length fine hair. Phytovolume is virtually weightless, as the manufacturer claims, but it definitely could've provides a little more "oomph". It worked well on extremely fine hair, but it was a disappointment on every other hair type. Phytovolume may be wonderful if you're on your way to going bald, but most women will find that this product just doesn't deliver the all-day volume as promised. (Rusk: 9 Phyto: 6)
Ingredients: The Rusk spray contains SD alcohol 40-B, which may sound scary, but it is a specially denatured alcohol which won't damage or dry out the hair. Other major ingredients include phenyl trimethicone, panthenol (pro-vitamin B5), dimethicone meadowfoamate, and benzophenonone-4, which is a powerful sunscreen. Phytovolume Actif spray contains denatured alcohol, rosemary leaf water, nasturtium flower extract, wheat protein, dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate copolymer, and hydrolyzed keratin. Unfortunately, the Phyto spray doesn't contain a sunscreen, and the wheat protein may not be a good idea for those with gluten allergies, but since Phytovolume does include botanical ingredients, this round will be scored as a draw. (Rusk: 7 Phyto: 7)
Sensory Appeal/Packaging: Both sprays have a light and pleasant fragrance, although I found the Rusk fragrance to be more appealing. In terms of packaging, both sprays were easy to dispense, with containers that fit comfortably in the hand. When it comes to visual impact, however, the Rusk product is far and away the more attractive of the two. Despite being a rather expensive product, the Phyto packaging looks cheap, tacky, and outdated- reminiscent of an anti-fungal foot spray you'd find in an old lady's medicine cabinet. (Rusk: 9 Phyto: 5)
Value: The Phytovolume Actif spray is available in a 4.22 ounce can which retails for around $29.48, while the Rusk Thickr spray comes in a 10.6 ounce can, with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $15.00. The cost-per-ounce of the Rusk spray is roughly $1.41, while the cost-per-ounce of the Phyto spray is a whopping $6.98. (Rusk: 10 Phyto: 2)
And the winner is....
Rusk Thickr, by a wide margin. This one wasn't even close, folks. Rusk Thickr works better, smells better, looks better, and costs about five times less than it's rival. The result is a 35-20 victory for Rusk. Rusk wins its Haircare face-Off! debut, while Phyto products fall to 0-3.
Showing posts with label Phyto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phyto. Show all posts
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Friday, December 16, 2011
Phyto Fiber Paste vs. Bumble and Bumble SumoTech
This face-off can be found exclusively on the Yahoo! Contributor Network:
http://voices.yahoo.com/haircare-faceoff-phyto-fiber-paste-7615382.html?cat=69
http://voices.yahoo.com/haircare-faceoff-phyto-fiber-paste-7615382.html?cat=69
Phytocitrus Restructuring Shampoo vs. Alterna Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo
Welcome to another exciting round of Haircare Face-Off, the only online battle royale of beauty where a professional stylist (yours truly) puts competing products to the test by using them on real-life clients. This week's challenge will involve two popular sulfate-free shampoos, Alterna's Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo and Phyto's Phytocitrus Restructuring Shampoo. As always, these products will be scored on a 1-10 scale for: Performance, Ingredients, Sensory Appeal (fragrance and packaging, among other things), and Value.
Let's meet this week's competitors.
Alterna Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo is a sulfate-free shampoo for all hair types, and is intended to prevent color-treated hair from fading with its certified-organic ingredients. Phytocitrus Restructuring Shampoo is one of the top-selling shampoos manufactured by Phyto, a company considered by many to be the leader in organic haircare products. Both products are sulfate-free shampoos infused with citrus promising to add shine to the hair while protecting haircolor, and both manufacturers are industry leaders in organic haircare. This should make for a very interesting battle!
Let the Haircare Face-Off begin!
Performance: My big complaint with most sulfate-free shampoos is that they do not lather very well (sulfates are responsible for producing suds), but the Alterna shampoo lathered so well I had to double-check the label to make sure that is really was sulfate-free (much to my satisfaction it was). The Phyto shampoo, however, did not lather well at all. The company recommends shampooing the hair twice, which is not only a waste of money but also a waste of time. Both shampoos left the hair shiny (when used with their accompanying conditioners), but the Alterna shampoo left my red-haired clients with vibrant color, while repeated shampooing with the Phytocitrus shampoo caused red to fade on other clients. This round goes to Alterna Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo. (Score: Alterna- 9, Phyto- 5)
Ingredients: Alterna shampoo contains extracts of hemp, cucumber, avocado, fennel, cranberry, orange, carrot, sunflower, and even mushroom. The Phyto shampoo's "secret" ingredient is wood cellulose. The idea is that the same sugar which gives a tree its structure should also provide structure to the hair. Unfortunately, trees and hair are not even close to being the same thing. Phytocitrus does contain grapefruit and almond extracts. Both products contain the preservative methylchloroisothiazolinone, but Phytocitrus also contains ethyl and butyl parabens, which are not good. This round goes to Alterna as well. (Score: Alterna-9, Phyto- 7)
Sensory Appeal: Both shampoos are citrus-scented, but in my opinion the Alterna Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo smells better. Phyto smelled vaguely of a rotten fruit basket. The Alterna products also feature much better (and convenient) packaging. The shape of the bottle is so unique that it would look great just sitting on a manlte above your fireplace. The Phyto bottle, on the other hand, looks like something you would find in your grandmother's medicine cabinet. I initially thought Phyto's metal bottle was rather cool, until I realized why 99% of shampoos are in plastic bottles- you can squeeze a plastic bottle. It was nearly impossible to get the last 1/3 of the shampoo out of the Phyto bottle. Alterna wins this round in a blowout. (Score: Alterna- 10, Phyto- 1)
Value: Alterna Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo is reasonably priced at around $23.00 for 10.1 ounces when purchased online. Phytocitrus Restructuring Shampoo retails for $24.00, for a measly 6.7 ounces. The clincher? You only need to shampoo the hair once with the Alterna, while Phyto recommends shampooing twice, so you'll go through the bottle of shampoo twice as quickly. Because of this, Alterna wins this round without question. (Score: Alterna- 10, Phyto- 3)
And the winner is...
Alterna Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo in a cakewalk. Alterna breezed past Phyto, sending the organic haircare giant home with its tail between its legs. Alterna has a better lather, better haircolor protection, a better look, a better fragrance, better ingredients, and represents a much better value. (Final Score: Alterna Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo- 38, Phytocitrus Restructuring Shampoo- 16)
Let's meet this week's competitors.
Alterna Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo is a sulfate-free shampoo for all hair types, and is intended to prevent color-treated hair from fading with its certified-organic ingredients. Phytocitrus Restructuring Shampoo is one of the top-selling shampoos manufactured by Phyto, a company considered by many to be the leader in organic haircare products. Both products are sulfate-free shampoos infused with citrus promising to add shine to the hair while protecting haircolor, and both manufacturers are industry leaders in organic haircare. This should make for a very interesting battle!
Let the Haircare Face-Off begin!
Performance: My big complaint with most sulfate-free shampoos is that they do not lather very well (sulfates are responsible for producing suds), but the Alterna shampoo lathered so well I had to double-check the label to make sure that is really was sulfate-free (much to my satisfaction it was). The Phyto shampoo, however, did not lather well at all. The company recommends shampooing the hair twice, which is not only a waste of money but also a waste of time. Both shampoos left the hair shiny (when used with their accompanying conditioners), but the Alterna shampoo left my red-haired clients with vibrant color, while repeated shampooing with the Phytocitrus shampoo caused red to fade on other clients. This round goes to Alterna Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo. (Score: Alterna- 9, Phyto- 5)
Ingredients: Alterna shampoo contains extracts of hemp, cucumber, avocado, fennel, cranberry, orange, carrot, sunflower, and even mushroom. The Phyto shampoo's "secret" ingredient is wood cellulose. The idea is that the same sugar which gives a tree its structure should also provide structure to the hair. Unfortunately, trees and hair are not even close to being the same thing. Phytocitrus does contain grapefruit and almond extracts. Both products contain the preservative methylchloroisothiazolinone, but Phytocitrus also contains ethyl and butyl parabens, which are not good. This round goes to Alterna as well. (Score: Alterna-9, Phyto- 7)
Sensory Appeal: Both shampoos are citrus-scented, but in my opinion the Alterna Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo smells better. Phyto smelled vaguely of a rotten fruit basket. The Alterna products also feature much better (and convenient) packaging. The shape of the bottle is so unique that it would look great just sitting on a manlte above your fireplace. The Phyto bottle, on the other hand, looks like something you would find in your grandmother's medicine cabinet. I initially thought Phyto's metal bottle was rather cool, until I realized why 99% of shampoos are in plastic bottles- you can squeeze a plastic bottle. It was nearly impossible to get the last 1/3 of the shampoo out of the Phyto bottle. Alterna wins this round in a blowout. (Score: Alterna- 10, Phyto- 1)
Value: Alterna Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo is reasonably priced at around $23.00 for 10.1 ounces when purchased online. Phytocitrus Restructuring Shampoo retails for $24.00, for a measly 6.7 ounces. The clincher? You only need to shampoo the hair once with the Alterna, while Phyto recommends shampooing twice, so you'll go through the bottle of shampoo twice as quickly. Because of this, Alterna wins this round without question. (Score: Alterna- 10, Phyto- 3)
And the winner is...
Alterna Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo in a cakewalk. Alterna breezed past Phyto, sending the organic haircare giant home with its tail between its legs. Alterna has a better lather, better haircolor protection, a better look, a better fragrance, better ingredients, and represents a much better value. (Final Score: Alterna Hemp Organics Shine Shampoo- 38, Phytocitrus Restructuring Shampoo- 16)
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